Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Wilson's Creek

Battle of Wilson's Creek was a battle fought on 10 August 1861 at Christian County, in what is now Missouri, United States. It was part of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War. The recorded result: Confederate victory. Recorded strength: 5,431 against 12,125.

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Battle of Wilson's Creek--Aug. 10, 1861--Union (Gen. Lyon) ... Conf. (Gen. McCulloch) ...
Battle of Wilson's Creek--Aug. 10, 1861--Union (Gen. Lyon) ... Conf. (Gen. McCulloch) .... by Kurz and Allison, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 August 1861
WhereChristian County, Missouri, United States37.100N, 93.407W
OutcomeConfederate victory
BelligerentsUnited StatesagainstConfederate States; File:Flag of the Missouri State Guard.svg
Casualties and losses1,317 (285 killed; 873 wounded; 186 missing)and1,222 (277 killed; 945 wounded)
Battlefield todayCivil War battlefieldNPS site MO004, 7,952 acres studied, 1,604 core
Part ofTrans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War

Where it sits in the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War

Siege of Lexington, 1861Engagement near Carthage, 1861Battle of Wilson's Creek, 1861Action at Blue Mills Landing, 1861Engagement at Fredericktown, 1861Action at Springfield, 1861Battle of Belmont, 1861Battle of St. Charles, 1862Battle of Moore's Mill, 1862First Battle of Newtonia, 1862Skirmish at Island Mound, 1862Battle of Cane Hill, 1862Battle of Cape Girardeau, 1863Battle of Devil's Backbone, 1863Second Battle of Cabin Creek, 186418611864Battle of Wilson's Creek, 1861
15 placed engagements of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 August 1861
PlaceChristian County, Missouri, United States
37.100N, 93.407W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength5,43112,125
Casualties and losses1,317 (285 killed; 873 wounded; 186 missing)1,222 (277 killed; 945 wounded)
Commanders
Battle of Wilson's CreekBattle of Wilson's CreekAction at SpringfieldSecond Battle of SpringfieldAction at SpringfieldSecond Battle of Springfield20 km37.100N, 93.407W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1861

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: US ARMYDefender: CS ARMY
Strength5,40010,175
Casualties1,235 (22.9%)1,095 (10.8%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1056
Outcomedefender won
Duration1 day
Front width2 km2.4 km
Attacker advanced-1.2 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 172), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the Civil War battlefield (site MO004): a study area of 7,952 acres, with a core area of 1,604 acres where the fighting was concentrated; 7,955 acres retain enough integrity to be potentially eligible for the National Register.

Battle of Wilson's Creek is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (42 in Missouri).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q180659, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Wilson's Creek, revision 1385224161, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.